At any given time, about 9.4 million Americans will be suffering from depression. Several million more will have some type of anxiety disorder. Most people who have one of these illnesses also suffer from the other. As many as 70% of people diagnosed with clinical depression also struggle with anxiety. Conversely, about half of all people suffering from anxiety disorders also have symptoms of depression. Depression and anxiety coexist so often that some researchers have stopped viewing them as separate illnesses. They are now regarded as part of the same disorder.

Most people have feelings of sadness at some point in their lives. The loss of a job, death of a loved one, or other disappointments, causes many of the symptoms of depression. Similarly, most people experience anxiety at some point in their lives when confronted with stressful situations. These feelings are normal, up to a point.

When feelings of overwhelming sadness or hopelessness, accompanied by fatigue, and changes of appetite and sleep patterns persist for more than a few weeks, the person may be diagnosed with clinical depression. When feelings of anxiety are out of proportion to the stresses being experienced, or a person has panic attacks several times over a period of weeks, they may be suffering from an anxiety disorder. Anxiety and depression are so often intertwined that one must be treated before the other can be dealt with.

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